Brandy
by sugarapplesweet
Summary: When your true love's heart belongs to another, sometimes all you have left are the sweet words that have been spoken. Based on a song-fic of the same name by the Looking Glass


**Author's Note:** Since most of my stories are inspired by music, I decided to write my first song-fic... I'd really appreciate some constructive criticism or reviews on this because I want to write more of them... eventually. I had so many other stories that I'm in the process of writing, so I shouldn't even be doing this...

Anyway, this is centered around the song _Brandy_ by The Looking Glass. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the HM characters, the song, or the band because I don't get paid for this, regardless of how many hours (4) I spent writing it.

--

**Brandy**

_There's a port on a western bay,_

_And it serves a hundred ships a day._

Every night in the harbor, the docks would fill with freighters, cargo rigs, and fishing boats looking for shelter as darkness fell onto the shipping yards. Children would run to their fathers who had returned from sea while wives cried with relief as their husbands held them close for the first time in months. These people came together on the worn and weary planks of wood overlooking the stagnant waters, yet there were those that had no one to welcome them as they made their way on shore.

_Lonely sailors pass the time away_

_And talk about their homes._

For such men found solace elsewhere in the bars, brothels, and dens along the boardwalk as they happened to find them. These were little more than holes in the wall, yet there was a peculiar attraction to them which brought the rouges together. A pint to loosen the lips and an ear eager to listen were all that was necessary to bring about a tall tale of the open ocean, and the stories would draw roaring waves of laughter that crashed over the rowdy bunch.

However, only one thing could truly bring a man to feel at ease after nights out on the rough seas.

_And there's a girl in this harbor town,_

_And she works layin' whiskey down._

She was easily recognizable. "Young and smiling" were usually the words used to describe her which were followed by a mentionings of her auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes, clearer than the calmest sea. Strolling around the docks in nothing more than a short skirt with a waitress's apron tied around her slender waist and a button down top, she was the finest eye candy to be had, yet no man would dare to touch her. If he even thought of venturing to act, his body was sure to drift on the sandy shore by morning.

The lass had gained the favor of the salty sea dogs as their daughter, and the younger scrubs defended her as their little sister. It was a matter of pride with which these men resisted the temptation of her fruits as she leaned over the tables to serve them their poison.

_They say. "Brandy, fetch another round!"_

_She serves them whiskey and wine._

As for why she worked at the bar, no one knew. Surely she should've been far from the company of scurvy sailors, yet she stayed all the same though she told no one as to how she came to be there. Questions of family, or lack there of, were common in gruff whispers so not to upset her should she overhear, but none would try to go so far as in asking. They were too quick to shower her in praise to dwell on her story.

_The sailors say "Brandy, you're a fine girl!"_

_"What a good wife you would be!_

_"Yeah, your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea."_

She'd smile as they said their sweet nothings, but every man knew he'd never be the one to have her. Her heart belonged to another, they understood. It was clear to anyone who so much as glanced at her, for it was the heavy weight resting on her chest over the very part of her that was forbidden to all but one.

_Brandy wears a braided chain,_

_Made of finest silver from the North of Spain._

_A locket that bears the name_

_Of the man that Brandy loves._

From time to time, the sailors would catch her gazing at the treasure lovingly. Her eyes would mist as they lingered on the engraving, but the man she longed for was no where to be found. He was the only one for whom she waited to return throughout the year. Though her admirers cursed the man for having what they could not, they wouldn't say a word against him, for the couldn't bring themselves to hate him. They, too, remembered him fondly.

_He came on a summer's day_

Before he'd even come into town, there was a lot of talk of him. He wasn't like the usual lot that came into the harbor. His clothes were simple, but he was certainly tall, dark, and handsome compared to the crusty port regulars. The faint smell of fish trailed after him, but women excused his scent as he had the most charming smile. He wasn't a rogue in the traditional sense as he wore a faded purple bandana to restrain his unruly brown curls. Unlike most fishermen, he had no crew, save for a ridiculous-looking bird on his shoulder.

_Bringing gifts from far away._

While he didn't know a single soul, the young man was generous with his meager wealth, and almost every person he passed was treated to a small favor. However, Brandy caught his eye quickly as she did every other before, but she chose to return his feelings when he came to sweep her off her feet. He lavished her with every precious thing a man could afford to win her. Jealousy brewed among her admirers, yet they didn't have long to worry. This was an affair not meant to be.

_But he made it clear, he couldn't stay._

_No harbor was his home._

She came to know the hurt of one-sided love like the men that had tried in vain to have her. Tears filled her beautiful blue eyes as he told her he had no intentions of being at her side. Even so, he knew just the words to say.

_The sailor said, "Brandy, you're a fine girl._

_"What a good wife you would be,_

_"But my life, my love, and my lady is the sea."_

His kiss was soft and sweet, sealing the memory forever in her heart. She couldn't hate him despite being his mistress, for her love for him was as deep as the ocean he publicly courted. He cruelly told her of his number one, yet she would never quiet him. She wanted to know how it could be that he'd love another more while all others would've given up exactly what he loved just to be with her for a single moment.

_Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes_

_When he told his sailor stories._

_She could feel the ocean foam rise._

_She saw its ragin' glory._

As she caught the glimmer of true love in his chocolate orbs, she came to know she'd been beat. No woman could ever match the vengeful being, and so she asked him if this was how he loved the ocean. He shook his head regretfully, saying she'd never truly see the nature of his feelings. The sea would be his only love, for it had been since the beginning, always and forever.

_But he had always told the truth,_

_Lord, he was an honest man,_

_And Brandy does her best to understand._

She wouldn't dare to see him off at the docks, for her heart was badly torn. Nothing could comfort her in her loss when he left her for another, yet she didn't let a solitary soul see her fall apart. She held her head up high and went about her work, and if no one knew of her love, they never could've known her suffering. Her thoughts of loving that man were pushed aside while she brought the sailors their drinks each evening into the early hours of the new day.

By the end of her shift, she was left without anything to distract her from him then.

_At night, when the bars close down,_

_Brandy walks through a silent town._

_And loves a man, who's not around._

_She still can hear him say._

Her eyes rest on the locket draped around her neck and unto her chest, and the name engraved in its silver surface burns into her mind. She can't hold back the tears, knowing he'll never love her as she does him, and the letters blur and fade as she cries.

_She hears him say "Brandy, you're a fine girl._

_"What a good wife you would be,_

_"But my life, my love, and my lady is the sea."_

_--_

**Final Author's Note:** Yay! My first song-fic _and_ my first piece for Denny! As for who Brandy truly is, I'll let you guys play around with that idea yourselves.

Well, this was fun, but now I have to finish _Photographs & Memories_...


End file.
